Siege of Caralis (266 BC)

The Siege of Caralis occurred in 266 BC when the armies of the Roman Republic landed in Sardinia and laid siege to the city of Caralis, held by Abdmelqart and an army of Carthage. The 467 Roman legionnaires faced 101 Carthaginian troops, and the Romans defeated them with only 33 losses.

Background
The Roman Republic's major threats by 270 BC were Gaul in present-day France to the northwest, the Antigonid Empire (Macedonia) in the Balkans to the southeast, and Carthage to the southwest and south. The House of Julii focused on fighting the Gauls while the House of Brutii fought the Greeks and the House of Scipii fought against the Carthaginians. Carthage had several territories in Europe from their North African capital of Carthage (present-day Tunis, Tunisia), with the city of Corduba in Spain, Caralis on the island of Sardinia, and Lilybaeum on Sicily, which bordered the Scipii city of Messana. The Julii were ordered to capture Sardinia from Carthage, and they dispatched an army of 467 Julii and Scipii (predominantly Julii) under Galerius Sextus to capture Caralis. The Julii landed first and began the siege of Caralis in the summer of 266 BC, while Gaius Scipio's army landed later and proceeded to march to assist the Julii. The Carthaginians, under Captain Abdmelqart, counted 101 troops.

Siege
For the duration of summer, the Romans constructed a battering ram to destroy the gates, and the Carthaginian army in the city stocked up on food and provisions. In the winter of 266 BC, the Roman army decided to assault Caralis head-on, rather than waste time waiting for Carthage to surrender - Carthage could easily ship some reinforcements to the island. The Julii were the ones to lead the attack, and Sextus oversaw the battering of the gates. The Roman army, including Greek mercenaries, stormed the fortress and began a huge melee battle with the Carthaginian Iberian Infantry and the other units. The Carthaginians fought bravely in defense of the town square, and Abdmelqart was cut down. By day's end, all 101 Carthaginian troops were killed, while 33 Julii were killed. The Scipii arrived too late to participate in the battle, and none of their men were killed or claimed a kill in the fight.

With Caralis in their hands, the Romans had control of both Sardinia and the island of Corsica to the north. As a reward to the Julii, the Roman Senate gave the Julii a few units of Hastati at their capital of Ariminum.